Dorchester County Council commits funds to reserve additional Lake Marion water capacity

Dorchester County Council voted unanimously April 21 to confirm a commitment to reserve additional finished water capacity from the Lake Marion Regional Water Agency.

The vote follows a reading of Resolution 25‑005 and staff remarks explaining how the regional plant expansion and county participation fit into local infrastructure and economic development plans.

County Administrator Ward said Dorchester has been “a member of that agency for well over 20 years,” and described the project as a federally funded expansion that will increase finished water capacity at the Santee treatment plant. Ward said the plant was originally put in service in 2008 with about an 8,000,000‑gallon capacity and that recent membrane upgrades have allowed operation at about 8,500,000 gallons per day. He said the agency plans to increase finished water capacity to 12,500,000 gallons per day.

Ward told council the expansion is being funded roughly 75% with federal dollars and 25% local match. He said the county would be able to secure approximately 69.5% of the new capacity and that the county’s portion of the local match for the piece described in the resolution would be $854,902.13. Ward also said the “non federal share associated with this project, is right at $5,607,000.”

The resolution text read at the meeting states the county currently has an allocation of 3,000,000 gallons per day and that the county commits to paying the recurring costs necessary to reserve the additional capacity “upon completion of the finished water plant upgrade.” The resolution number recorded by council was 25‑005.

Council discussion touched on fire protection and economic development benefits from added water infrastructure. Ward said hundreds of fire hydrants and about 80,000 linear feet of water line have been installed in recent county projects, and noted that water availability contributes to Insurance Services Office (ISO) ratings and supports industrial sites such as the Ridgeville Industrial Campus.

The council approved the resolution by voice vote; the chair said the vote was unanimous.

The resolution does not specify a final effective date beyond completion of the upgrade; the county’s ongoing non‑federal share and the total local cost were described by staff during the presentation.

Dorchester County staff and council members also named federal and regional partners involved in making the expansion possible during the presentation and discussion, and staff said the county has participated in other regional water projects for more than two decades.

The council did not specify additional implementation steps or an exact schedule at the meeting; staff indicated further coordination with the Lake Marion Regional Water Agency and project partners would follow.